U.S. patent number 4,507,810 [Application Number 06/343,930] was granted by the patent office on 1985-04-02 for implantable breast prostheses.
This patent grant is currently assigned to Polar-Plastik HB. Invention is credited to Lennart O. Bartholdson.
United States Patent |
4,507,810 |
Bartholdson |
April 2, 1985 |
Implantable breast prostheses
Abstract
An implantable breast prosthesis having a shell of
bio-compatible material filled with a plurality of individual,
irregularly shaped cells. The shell is at least partially filled
with a liquid. The cells have passageways formed therein, that
preferably have different sizes, to provide fluid communication
between the cells so that the liquid flows in a manner to simulate
natural breast movements. Cells are interconnected with the shell
and with each other so as to avoid excessive movement.
Inventors: |
Bartholdson; Lennart O. (Umea,
SE) |
Assignee: |
Polar-Plastik HB (Umea,
SE)
|
Family
ID: |
20337327 |
Appl.
No.: |
06/343,930 |
Filed: |
January 29, 1982 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
Issue Date |
|
|
122767 |
Feb 19, 1980 |
|
|
|
|
Foreign Application Priority Data
|
|
|
|
|
Feb 19, 1979 [SE] |
|
|
7901424 |
|
Current U.S.
Class: |
623/8 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A61F
2/12 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
A61F
2/12 (20060101); A61F 001/00 () |
Field of
Search: |
;3/36
;128/425,462,478,479,481,492 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Apley; Richard J.
Assistant Examiner: Isabella; David
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Fleit, Jacobson, Cohn &
Price
Parent Case Text
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
This application is a continuation-in-part application of U.S.
patent application Ser. No. 122,767, filed Feb. 19, 1980 now
abandoned.
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. An implantable breast prosthesis comprising:
a flexible shell formed of bio-compatible material;
a plurality of individual, irregularly shaped cells of different
sizes defined by cell walls and encompassed within and completely
filling said shell, with adjacent cells having walls in contact and
attached with each other, each cell containing a liquid material
and having at least one passageway formed in the cell wall and in
direct communication with a passageway formed in the cell wall of
an adjacent cell to provide fluid communication between adjacent
cells; and
a liquid partially filling said shell and cells, said passageways
formed in the cell walls permitting movement of the liquid from one
cell to an adjacent cell so that the liquid flows between the cells
to simulate natural breast movements.
2. An implantable breast prosthesis according to claim 1, wherein
at least some of the cells adjacent to said shell are firmly
affixed thereto.
3. An implantable breast prosthesis according to claim 1 or 2,
wherein adjacent cells are connected to each other.
4. An implantable breast prosthesis according to claim 1 or 2,
wherein the passageways formed in the cell walls are of different
sizes to provide different rates of liquid flow between the
adjacent cells.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention concerns a breast prosthesis which, on being
inserted, is intended to enlarge the breast.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Body-promoting breast prostheses which are intended to enlarge the
female breast by being inserted under the skin in order to resemble
the normal female breast in shape and size are to be found already
today. These are on the whole of three different kinds.
The first kind is the so-called Cronin-prosthesis, consisting of a
thin shell of Silastic and containing a kind of jelly-type
Silastic. This prosthesis has been marketed since 1962. A
disadvantage of this prosthesis is that the jelly leaks out,
leaving a scar capsule round the prosthesis.
The second kind of prosthesis consists of a shell with Silastic in
which the prosthesis space has been filled up with a salt solution.
The difficulty encountered here is that the breast has become
somewhat splashy and, at least at the outset, there is a risk that
air can enter when the prosthesis is being filled with a salt
solution, and, due to this cause the prostheses tends to squelch
when the female person is walking.
The third and final type of prosthesis is a combination of the two
prostheses described above and in which the inner core consists of
Silastic-jelly, and, outside this, a salt solution fills up the
remaining cavity, and, outside this, a shell with Silastic. Not
even this type is satisfactory.
Previously known implantable prosthesis are described in U.S. Pat.
Nos. 3,366,975, 3,559,214, 3,683,424, and 3,986,213. It should be
noted that these patents describe different types of material
available for use in the manufacture of prosthesis.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An aim of the present invention is to bring about a better
prosthesis that will eliminate the disadvantages connected with the
existing prostheses.
It is important to make a prosthesis resembling as much as possible
the body's own tissue. A female breast contains partly breast gland
tissue, and partly fat. This means that a normal breast does not
feel exactly homogenous throughout, but is soft and changes shape
in keeping with the woman's changes of position--upright and
recumbent--and so forth.
The prosthesis, according to the present invention, will alter
shape when the woman changes position, thus giving a feeling of
natural movement. It will also be possible to have the prosthesis
made in factories, thus avoiding the problems that arise in
connection with the filling of prostheses at insertion. Moreover,
it will be less expensive to make than the existing prostheses.
The prosthesis provided by the present invention has an outer shell
shaped to conform with the desired amount of breast enhancement
desired. A rear surface of the prosthesis is complementary to the
curvature of the portion of the chest contacted by the prosthesis.
The material forming the shell, which can be any of the well known
biocompatible materials, is semi-rigid so that the prosthesis tends
to maintain its normal shape, yet is sufficiently flexible to allow
the shell to change shape when the wearer changes position.
The invention, and its objects and advantages, will become more
apparent in the detailed description of the preferred embodiment
hereinafter presented .
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING
One embodiment of the present invention will now be described in
more detail with reference to the attached drawing, which is a
schematic sectional view illustrating one embodiment of the
invention in an implanted position.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
The present description will be directed in particular to elements
forming part of, or cooperating more directly with, the present
invention. Elements not specifically shown or described herein are
understood to be selectable from those known in the art.
Referring now to the drawing FIGURE, an embodiment of the
prosthesis provided by the present invention is illustrated in an
implanted position within a breast. The breast has an outer skin
layer 1 covering a layer of subcutaneous fat 2. Mammary gland
tissue 3 surrounds the inserted breast prostheses in the front and
on the sides. The mammary gland descents are identified with the
reference numeral 4. The rear of the prosthesis is adjacent the big
breast muscle 5, which is in front of the chest 6 and ribs 7.
Considering now the prosthesis provided by the present invention,
it has an outer wall 8 formed of a bio-compatible material. A
plurality of individual, irregularly shaped individual cells 10 and
11 are encompassed within the shell 8. It should be noted that the
sizes of the cells vary so as to provide more natural movement. At
least some of the cells adjacent the shell 8 are firmly affixed
thereto, as identified by the reference numeral 9. Each of the
cells has at least one passageway 12 formed therein to provide
fluid communication between the individual cells. The locations and
sizes of the passageways vary to provide easy flow of fluid between
the cells so that the movement of the prosthesis is similar to that
of a natural breast. To avoid excessive movement of the individual
cells, adjacent cells are connected to each other, as represented
by the connection points 14. The density of packing of the cells
within the shell 8 is such that adjacent cells have walls in
contact with each other, as identified by the reference numeral
16.
This prosthesis is filled with a solution of low viscosity or a
fluid that must be bio-compatible or body-tissue-friendly. The
amount of liquid added to the shell 8 and the viscosity of the
liquid are determined by several factors. First, the weight of the
prosthesis should be approximately the same as the weight of a
normal breast. Second, the liquid must be able to slowly flow
between adjacent cells to simulate natural movement. If the liquid
flows too freely, undesirable splashing sounds occur. If the liquid
flows too slowly, the breast is too rigid and does not move in a
natural manner. On account of the prosthesis in question consisting
of a cell system, it takes on a more natural performance and
feeling, and, in addition, there is formed beneath the skin a more
natural shape resembling the body's own tissue in the female
breast. This prosthesis will change its shape when the women
changes her position, and she will thus also feel more natural.
From the preceding, it can be seen that the present invention
provides a breast prosthesis that is intended to be inserted in the
female breast. The prosthesis has a thin shell 8 that contains a
large number of individual cells. The shell 8 is partially filled
with a very thin liquid, a body-tissue compatible solution, or a
liquid with low viscosity. Passageways are formed in the cells so
that the cells are in fluid communication with each other.
In the illustrated embodiment, adjacent walls of the cells are
affixed to each other and the passageways in the cell walls are in
alignment with each other. Any well known technique is usable to
affix the cell walls to each other and to the shell, for instance,
ultrasonic welding or glueing. It is also within the scope of the
invention to assemble the cellular structure from cells having
plastic walls that adhere to each other, with the assembled
cellular structure being subjected to a subsequent curing
operation. The passageways interconnecting the cells are formed
either before or after the walls of the cells are affixed to each
other. Further, the cells can be connected to each other and to the
shell only at junction points. In such case, there is no need to
align the passageways in the walls of adjacent cells.
The present invention has been described in only one representative
embodiment, but it should be apparent that the invention can be
varied in a variety of ways within the framework of the following
claims.
* * * * *